El-Rufai’s 125 Days, And Counting

While the opposition ADC, the political establishment appears to have moved on with plans and strategies for the 2027 general elections, the family and associates of former Kaduna governor, Nasir el-Rufai, are counting the days since he was first arrested and locked up by the ICPC.

Aides to the former governor are using his own social media handles to keep count of his days of incarceration, which is now in its fifth month.

Despite attempts by family and friends to draw attention to his plight and his need for medical attention, only a few people seem to be taking up his cause, and the stringent bail conditions set by the Federal High Court in Kaduna are handling the case.

In fact, the reputation, goodwill and structures el-Rufai built over three decades in Kaduna as governor, in the FCT as minister and as a public administrator when he was director general of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, all appear to be failing him.

In Kaduna, the leadership of the ADC, of which he is a member, watched. At the same time, the party primaries for the governorship and state and federal assembly seats wiped out many of his associates. Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, is an exception for speaking out in support of the former governor.

El-Rufai was initially detained by the ICPC on 18 February 2026 and was subsequently charged in court with 10 counts of fraud, money laundering, and abuse of office at a Federal High Court in Kaduna in March 2026.

The State Security Service had earlier in February filed a 3-count charge against the former governor over the unlawful interception of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu’s, communications.